"Fenwick, Keith - Skid 02 - Skid2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fenwick Keith)
What is SKID2?
SKID2 is an electronic book, the sequel to the electronic novel SKID. Read it, pass it onto your friends, anybody that might be interested, everyman and his dog. If you like what you read and want to check out what happened in the the first novel download it from my home page or email me for a copy. The third novel in the series is also available at no cost. However if you want to send me a small donation to reflect our efforts in bringing these freeware programs to you I won't refuse them.
Published By Keith Fenwick PO Box 90312 Auckland New Zealand
ph [64] 025 748571 mailto: [email protected]. home page: http://home.iprolink.co.nz/~sam/
Copyright (C) Keith Fenwick 1997
This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted,transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any other language or computer language, in any form or by any means, whether it be electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, manual or otherwise, without prior written consent of Keith Fenwick.
While Keith Fenwick undertakes to supply a viable software package he disclaims all warranties as to this software, whether express or implied.
SKID2
Prelude
Raele wondered what was happening on Skid and more importantly wondered whether it was time he headed home. Inel should have long since re-called him, an order that Raele would have gratefully received. But the communications channel had remained silent, as if he had been completely forgotten, cut off and left adrift in space.
The implications of this worrying state of affairs were beginning to loom large in Raele's increasingly troubled mind.
After leaving the offworlders on their home world, Raele and the crew of the patrol craft had gone on an aimless joyride around the universe. They sampled the delights of Candour. Tarried on the planet Guide where time stood still for them, for who knows how long? A few days, a few years, a century or two? Too long?
Then they did a beat up of Celcious B. Raele wouldn't land there, he didn't want to be swamped by the locals wanting food and other goodies as the Celcions would mistake his patrol craft for one of the heavy bellied freighters that no longer called.
It was fun, roaming around without any particular mission bar that last directive to delay their return home until ordered. Raele had been bemused by this last minute change in his flight plan, not least because he was informed of the change personally by Inel and not by Noslow his secretary. But also because Inel, usually so grim and distant, never betraying any emotion, had clearly been disturbed about something.
Raele had been anticipating the forthcoming mission in the unaccustomed luxury of a long range patrol craft. He didn't recognise Inel's obvious discomfort for what it was until they were well under way on their mission. He had been far too busy contemplating, with a rising sense of anticipation the delights of unlimited food and agbar supplies and other luxuries now in unbelievably short supply on Skid. Not forgetting certain other 'comforts' reserved for long distance space travellers in case they were stranded out of reach of a service crew.
Crashing anywhere was an unlikely event for a Skidian craft, created as they were by the most sophisticated beings in the known universe. Raele thought it more likely that the presence of females aboard was a transparent ruse to keep them from straying from their appointed tasks.
Speaking of comforts, Raele turned over and looked at the female lying beside him, compared her smooth white skin with the offworld female they had recently despatched. Quite sometime ago now, Raele thought guiltily.
The communication channel had been open for days, Raele had been hoping that there would be some kind of traffic, some message waiting for him ordering him home. There had been nothing.
Nor was there any traffic on the channels that should have been busy with chatter from short range patrol and freighter traffic.
Raele's stomach was upset, he felt generally irritable which was itself unusual for a Skidian which was probably why the others had been avoiding him. Worry was beginning to gnaw at him like a live thing. Anxiety caused by the realisation that he was going to have to make a decision himself. For some unknown reason those that should be relieving him of this irksome burden seemed to have disappeared.
There were other patrol craft, on missions like his probing further and further into the universe and dealing with potential threats to Skid's security. Or merely watching over primitive planets like the offworlder's that were as yet no threat to Skid's security. Raele wondered what their crews were thinking, whether they were as bemused as he at the lack of communication from Skid, if they were still alive.
Raele rolled off the bed and wandered through to the control room to check the communication's channel once again. He scrolled through the log, still nothing. He entered a message and waited for a reply. Nothing answered except the whisper of the universe through the speaker. He checked the scanners as they were close enough to Skid that they should be picking up local traffic.
Nothing.
Reale's finger hovered over the console. Over the switch that would tell the autopilot to bring them to the space port at Sietnuoc in a few short hours.
Raele knew something was dreadfully wrong. But what could possibly be wrong? He pressed the switch and was relieved to hear the quiet beep that told him that the homing beacon was operating.
Normally Raele was excited by the final approach to Skid, this time he was filled with dread. Raele flipped on the viewing screen, picked out Skid from the cluster of other planets and watched as it steadily filled the screen.
Soon Raele could pick out familiar landmarks, the continents, the clusters of light that marked the cities of Skid and the salty seas. As the patrol craft got closer to Skid he noticed that several things looked different from his previous trips home.
For one the atmosphere seemed murky, as if a haze covered the entire planet.
There was no sign of any other patrol craft or the swarm of freighters that normally orbited the planet waiting to join the landing queues at the spaceport that normally bustled with activity. Usually hundreds of craft would be jostling for landing positions or departing for all parts of the known universe.
Raele tried the communication's channel again but it remained silent, hissing at him as if the channel had been accidentally left open on another craft.
Surely there must be someone down there he thought frantically, wondering what he was going to do if there wasn't.
Passing the darkened side of Skid above where Ndgar should be the haze was thickest. It seemed to billow towards the patrol craft and glowed, as if untold lights burned below.
Then they were past Ndgar and headed across the salty water to Sientuoc. What was going on? Raele wondered, truly afraid now. For a moment he seriously considered turning the patrol craft around and heading back into space.
"What is happening down there?" A voice articulated Raele's own thoughts.
Raele turned and found Amatm, one of the sociologists peering into the screen and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes simultaneously.
"I don't really know," Raele replied, temporarily forgetting that he was supposed to pretend to know everything even if he didn't.
Amatm shrugged and walked across to the food dispenser. He wasn't looking forward to returning to Skid and leaving the luxury aboard the patrol craft. Back too unheard of restrictions on the use of agbar. Strict controls over the dispensing of food and all the other unheard of restrictions that were being placed on everyday Skidian life before they had left on their mission.
Amatm snatched a furtive glance at Raele. He saw Raele still staring at the screen so stuffed his pouch and pockets with agbar before turning to eat from the bowl that had filled under the dispenser.
He casually strolled back to where Raele stood and took another look at the screen. This was the end of his first trip into space so he didn't know what was usual and what wasn't but he saw the haze and remarked casually: "Looks as if the planet
Once they landed Raele carefully peered through the hatch which automatically flopped open. There was nothing remarkable in the few patrol craft lined up neatly beside his own or in the service crew that was hurrying over to them.
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